Population shifts numbering in the millions occurred as a result of the two world wars—because of territorial changes, deportation and liquidation of Jews by the Nazis, flight before the Soviet military forces, deportations to the USSR, expulsion of the Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans), and departures following the Communist takeover and before stringent security measures halted the flow. About 117,950 Jews emigrated to Israel between 1948 and 1951; another 90,000 were permitted to emigrate during 1958–64. Some 120,000 ethnic Germans left Romania between 1978 and 1988, and some 40,000 ethnic Hungarians fled in 1987 alone. In 1990, 80,346 people left, 78% to Germany, 9% to Hungary. Some 44,160 Romanians emigrated in 1991 and 31,152 in 1992. In 1992, 103,787 Romanians were given asylum in Germany, but in September of that year Germany returned 43,000 refugees, over half of whom were Gypsies.
Since 1991, Romania has been an asylum country for refugees and has accepted more than 6,000 asylum applications, of which 1,000 have been granted refugee status. Applications come mainly from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. As of 1999, estimates indicated there were no more than 2,000 asylum-seekers and refugees in Romania, the remainder having left for other countries or returned to their homelands voluntarily. During the Kosovo crisis in 1999, Romania offered to accept 6,000 Kosovar refugees from Macedonia under the UNHCR/IOM Humanitarian Evacuation Programme. It only actually hosted about 100, until the end of July 1999 when all but one returned to Kosovo. In 1999, the net migration rate was -0.87 migrants per 1,000 population.